[T3] So I was doing an oil change....

Jim Adney jadney at vwtype3.org
Wed Nov 5 21:27:57 PST 2014


On 5 Nov 2014 at 21:51, Dave Pallo wrote:

> Fresh oil going IN for winter storage? That's just not right ;-)  That fresh
> oil will not be so fresh oil come springtime after sitting in that freezing
> crankcase all winter...
> 
> Take the hot oil out - remove and cleanout the screen - put it all back
> together without the oil - then come springtime, right before startup;
> install the oil.
> 
> Now that's a fresh oil change!

I'm always uncertain about what is the best way to do this. Part of 
me wants to change the oil in the spring, so that I start the driving 
season with fresh oil, but the other side wants to change the oil in 
the fall, so the engine doesn't sit with combustion by-products in it 
in storage all winter. A pre-storage oil change also washes away, or 
dilutes, the by-products and leaves all the engine parts with a 
coating of fresh, clean oil.

I never considered just leaving it empty over the winter. That 
strikes me as leaving the max amount of engine exposed to the risk of 
condensation over the winter. Just like a gas tank, condensation in 
empty volumes is a real hazard. It also leaves all the internal parts 
coated with contaminated oil.

I don't always get around to it, but my recommendation would be to 
change the oil before going into storage. The oil won't suffer from 
the storage, but the engine might suffer from storage with dirty oil. 
"Dry" storage doesn't strike me as a good idea, plus, like Keith, I 
may want to move the car before it's spring oil change time.



-- 
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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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